Improvement in weaving wire screens



UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

.IosEPI-I M. soIiUYLER AND WILLIAM ZEEN, or PoTTsvILLE, PENNSYLVANIA,

` AssIGNoEs To DANIEL I.. EAsTEELY.

IMPROVEMENT IN WEAVING WlRE SCREENS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 10,546, dated February 21, 1854.

To all whom. it 11mg/ concern.:

Be it known that we, JOSEPH M. SGHUYLER and WILLIAM ZEEN, both of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in NVeaving Wire Screens,

of Which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description, reference being had to the ac- -companying drawings.

In weaving wire gauze or screens, as they are termed, of large-size wires the wire has heretofore been crimped preparatory to weaving, the crimping being made where the wires cross each other to form the meshes. This operation requiring considerable force, a machine for crimping has been employed separate from the Aloom for weaving the wire, as under the patent granted to H. Jenkins March G, 1847. This process is slow, inconvenient, inaccurate, and expensive. As the warp is arranged and stretched and the fillingwire inserted by hand, the crimps do not always match; hence the inaccuracy of the meshes. From the action of the crimpingmachine the Wires become indented and weakened where the crimp is made, and hence such screens give out too soon. Our invention removes these objections and difficulties, and consists, mainly, in making such screens without crimping the wires or crinkling them, as it is frequently called, and in a mode of finishing the screen from straight wires by the single operation of moving up the layA In the drawings hereto annexed, Figurell is an elevation of the loom; Fig. 2, a back View of the heddles; Fig. 3, a back view of the lay with the reeds and clamps; and Fig. 4 shows asection of the screen when completed.

The weaving of the Wire is similar in many respects to common weaving of textile substances, and the loom resembles in some particulars the common hand-loom. The layframe h b carries two sets of reeds, one of which is shown in Fig. 3, and both of which are shown in dotted lines o c, Fig. l. The heddles ct ct are similar to and worked like those in common hand-looms, the dierence being only such as to adapt them to the heavier work to be performed. The warp is attached to a beam b2 at one end of the carriage and at the other end to the tighteningroller b4, and passes between the reeds in the usual manner, and the width of the reeds regulates the extent of the meshes in one direction. Between the two sets of reeds We introduce the clamp bars or levelers d d,and so arrange, connect, and operate these levelers as that they shall approach each other and bring the parted warp-wires between them to a level, or nearly so, each time the lay beats up the weft. The levelers, being one above and the other below the Warp, are separated sufficiently7 to allow the shifting of the warp by the heddles.

` The motion of thelay operates the levelers as follows: The levelers d d are seen in Fig.'

3,and their ends are shown in the side elevation, Fig. 1, where they project through the slot e in the side of the lay-frame for the purpose ofattaching them to theconnecting-rods or links rr. These rods are worked by means of lever h, rod 7" being connected with one extremity of the lever, and rod r being con.

nected with the other arm of the lever, but nearer its fulcrum than rod/r', so that if the lever or handle hbe Worked up and down the clamp-bars or levelers must approach each other and bring the warp-wires with them.

Attached to the upper part of the framework ot the loom is a rod or link r2, provided with a friction-roller@ at its lower end, which rests upon that end of the lever to which rod r isattached. The rod r2 passes through a guide-piece k, which is attached to the layframe.

In order to give a good bearing to the friction-roller @c upon the lever h, the upper surface of the lever is tapered off, as seen in the drawings. /Vhen the lay is moved in the direction of the arrow, the rod r2 forces down that end of the lever upon which it presses, causing the other end to rise, and this has the effect to bring together the levelers and level the warp at each stroke of the lay. When the lay is moved back, the weight of the long end of lever h separates thelevelers and the heddies (by the usual Inode with treadles) are made to shift the warp for the insertion of another weft-wire. Each weft-wire of the proper length is inserted by hand. It willbe readily seen that by the operation of the levelers the warp bends the woot', and, vice versa, the Woof bends the warp. Each serves as a fulcrum over which the wire is bent by the levelers with aleverage the length or extent of the meshes. The bending thus eieeted gives a smooth wave-line to both warp and woof and makes a most perfect and durable screen. The meshes of the wire are regulated in one direction by the width of the reeds of the lay and in the other direction by the motion of the carriage to which the warp is xed. The carriage may be moved either by hand or machinery common to such operations; but we propose to employ a special mode of moving the carriage which we intend to make the subject of a separate application for Letters Patent. i

The partsjust described, as connected with one side ot' the lay-frame for operating the levelers, are in every respect similar upon the other side. Both sides are seen in part in Fig. 3, where similar letters refer to similar parts, as in Fig. l.

The leveling may be effected by various mechanical devices without changing the principal and most important feature of our invention, which consists in forcing the parted Warp-wires to a level, or nearly so, each time the lay beats up the weft, so as to `cause the warp to bend the weft and the weft to bend the Awarp.

The advantages of our improvements are very obvious, as we dispense altogether with the cri mpi n g or crinkling operation, which not only requires a separate machine, but injures the wires and the fabric.

That we claim, therefore, as our invention and improvement in the Weaving of wire isl. Causing the Warp and weft Wires to bend each other by means of clamps, levelers, or their mechanical equivalents operating upon the warp-wires each time the lay beats up the weft, for the purposes herein set forth.

2. Connecting the lay and clamp movements so that the motion of the lay shall give motion to the clamps, substantially as herein set forth.

JOSEPHM. SCHUYLER. WILLIAM ZERN.

lVitnesses:

J No. T. SHOENER, LE GRAND BANoRoFr. 

